Photo: Parsons

It’s that time of year again where New York’s fashion schools peacock their graduating class before industry heavyweights, and last night, Parsons—the former educational stomping ground for Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler—celebrated its seniors with a benefit dinner.  Hosted by Donna Karan, the event was part runway show, part opportunity for students to rub elbows with their soon-to-be fellow alum. “It’s really breathtaking to know that they’ve come out of their way to see what we’ve been doing for the past four years,” Giana Sacco, one of the award-winning students, said of the night’s high-profile attendees.  But it sounds like the more seasoned designers have been paying attention all along.  ”For me, Parsons is a connection of dots—to see how everyone has evolved and how this place has allowed them to express themselves over the past few years,” Karan told ELLE.  And nearby, Narciso Rodriguez was in agreement, “I’m a Parsons alum and you have to give back, you have to support the arts and all the talented young people here.” The school is particularly good at spearheading industry-wide evolution, not only by training and encouraging its students, but also by pushing the envelope technology-wise.  Pointing to a monitor, Simon Collins, the school’s dean of fashion, proudly explained, “If you look at that video display, that is our lookbook—it’s sort of something out of Harry Potter.  Everyone creates a lookbook but not like that, not an active lookbook.  We feel like we actually enable people to pioneer new aspects of the industry.”  And he was right, on the screen was a detailed video of student’s work that would be distributed to the school’s legion of editorial allies—and it was surely a welcome departure from the paperweight collection guides currently in circulation. Between courses the lights dimmed and the techno pined on and a procession of student theses paraded throughout the room, each one expressing a new idea, shape, or form. In that moment it was easy to tell why parsons has become a mill for talent—they really do demand the best.

Photo: Prada

Prada’s ‘Parallel Universes,’ a creative new spring campaign, is meant to merge two worlds in the name of Prada. The Italian house recruited Vahram Muratyan, the illustrator and blogger behind one of fashion’s favorite Tumblrs, Paris vs. New York, to illustrate the meeting of the two realms for a series of gifs. “Prada Parallel Universes is an exercise that grows out of the drive to experiment with, and to match, new communications media and Prada’s semiotics,” a release says. “To be consistent with the present without nostalgia.” Considering Prada’s spring collection was dripping in nostalgia, the gifs do put a surprisingly modern spin on each illustration.

Much like Carrie Bradshaw’s flower pin, Rachel Zoe’s oversized glasses, or Kate Moss’ skinny jeans, sometimes all it takes to define an icon’s style is one timeless piece. For spring, similar classics were reworked from decades past to bring the coolest looks of today. From ’40s chic to ’80s geek, we’re rehashing fashion’s greatest hits fit for an icon.

The LBD: ’50s

Glee diva Lea Michele revamps vintage wearing a glamorous lace update to Audrey Hepburn’s swing skirt and sumptuous silhouette.

Photo: 2DM

There are probably hordes of people flocking to see Lena Dunham‘s Tiny Furniture now that Girls has become a bonafide hit. The film, Dunham’s first, was so called because of her mother’s art work, which revolved around photographing said miniatures. So we kind of wish that the designers of the tiny furniture cake maker at left had seized upon the opportunity for puns. Instead the waffle iron is called the “Sapore dei Mobili,” designed by a Japanese Portuguese duo, Ryosuke Fukusada and Rui Pereira. It just made its debut at the Milan Furniture Fair, so if anyone’s looking for a congratulatory gift for Dunham, voila!

Photo: WWD

If you haven’t yet heard of Sky Ferreira, prepare yourself. The 19-year-old, LA native is poised for a life changing summer. After charming the fashion industry and landing a major role in Calvin Klein’s CK One campaign last year, she’s about to drop her hugely anticipated debut album this summer. She’s also the new face of Vigoss denim. If you’ve never heard of them either, dont’ worry. The fall campaign marks their first big fashion push and they’re going all out in honor of the new strategy. Mario Sorrenti shot the images and Melanie Ward styled the unbelievably inexpensive denim. Look for Sky’s face everywhere, starting this summer.

Photo: APC The preppy simplicity of A.P.C. paired with the girly elegance of Azzaro’s former creative director, Vanessa Seward, was bound to produce something wonderful. In fact, the collection, which just debuted today, is even better than expected. Its easy shapes—fitted shift dresses, boxy rompers, cropped sweaters and billowing shirt dresses—will please the most loyal A.P.C. customer and the glittering fabrics and feminine silhouettes will satisfy loyal fans of Seward’s evening wear. A release says, “If A.P.C. is by their own admission “a little frigid,” the collaboration with Vanessa Seward draws the A.P.C. girl out and introduces her to a new, quiet kind of glamour.” Click through to see more looks!

Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Gianni Versace, Nadege & Linda Evangelista at The Ritz in 1995. Photo: Getty Images

The fashion shows Gianni Versace staged at The Ritz in Paris are stuff of fashion legend. With supermodels, fountains, sequins and an audience full of fashion’s elite and Hollywood’s A-list, the man knew how to put on a show. So it’s welcome news that his sister, Donatella, will stage this summer’s Atelier Versace show at the iconic hotel one last time, on July 1st, before it closes for two year’s worth of renovations at the end of the month. The Italian brand let its Atelier collection (like couture, but they’re not members of the Chambre Syndicale) lie dormant until last season when Donatella offered a small capsule collection. She told WWD, “It is with tremendous emotion that I return to the Ritz where I shared so many special moments with my brother. The closing of the Ritz Paris for two years represents the end of an era but also the beginning of a new one, so to be able to show Atelier Versace there one last time will be a memorable milestone.” Needless to say, a cast full of supermodels would round this out quite nicely.

Photo: Nick Knight

Leave it to Nick Knight to stage the first Instagram fashion shoot. Of course, even the coolest fashion photographer knows what people want to see online: baby animals! So the ephemeral editorial, which is really supposed to show off the new jewelry collection from Faberge, is studded with baby ducklings, a kitten and a puppy (so far, they’ve promised bunnies, too). It also features Cara Delevigne, who’s quickly become the model of the moment, wearing Mary Katrantzou, vintage Giles and Valentino. Start following Knight on Twitter (or Instagram) to keep up with the darling shoot, and good luck getting any work done today.

A dress from Antonson's spring collection.

Adrienne Antonson, an artist of many mediums, found the inspiration for her clothing line, State, in the midst of alpacas. As a student at the College of Charleston she studied sculpting before landing a gig as the curator of the esteemed Charleston gallery, Eye Level Art. After just one year, she needed a change. “Changing gears is good,” she muses. So Antonson and her husband uprooted to an alpaca farm just outside of Seattle, where she fell in love with the social creatures. Working to give the alpacas injections and deliver their babies, she established an extraordinary bond with them. And every year when it was time to shear their fur, she worked incredibly closely with the fibers, deriving inspiration for her label. The self-taught designer took up the process of felting, a very ancient form of weaving practiced by nomadic tribes involving soap and water. The simple and slow vibrating of one’s hands leads to a rug, wall hanging, or in the case of State, bonnets, that are breathtaking in scope and aesthetic. Antonson set up a studio in the barn on the farm and began working with the fibers; emphasizing the importance of sustainable fabrics is her utmost goal, but the alpaca fur is the crux of her inspiration. Hinging her line on the concept of the farm to table craze that has taken the culinary world by storm, she is working with a self-dubbed concept, “farm to hanger.” As she explains it, “Let’s shrink this process down and go back to basics, which is a very old idea. That is the future of fashion: farm to hanger; slowing everything down and being more thoughtful about where the apparel is coming from, being really creative with how you’re dying things, and being resourceful. There is a beauty in being resourceful.” Antonson’s plan is working. The designer took home the people’s choice winner from Charleston Fashion Week and she’s the in house designer for NuBe Green in Seattle. Luckily, she’s making more than just alpaca bonnets.